


Stranded

by denizci



Category: The Island of Dr. Moreau - H. G. Wells
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Descent into Madness, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 09:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25468654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denizci/pseuds/denizci
Summary: This story details what happened to Edward Prendick after he escaped Doctor Moreau's island with the small boat until he is picked up by a group of sailors.
Kudos: 2





	Stranded

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language so pointing out any mistakes would be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading.

There he was. Away from the cursed island at last. The island before his eyes appeared so small, so similar to the dozens of clusters of such islands in the ocean and yet, it contained nightmares greater than all of the oceans for him. 

It did not matter if they were still alive. He was away. Away. 

But how long would he last, in the middle of the ocean? Some place hundreds of miles away from the nearest hint of civilization? His food and water portions were limited. His predicament did not seem the slightest bit of heartening if the waters did not swallow him whole first. 

He could not go back to the island. The beast-men awaited him there. They had, at last, completed their reversal towards their true carnal state. They had lost the Law and the Speech, stood on four feet with their faces growling. They were waiting to hunt him. To eat his flesh and drink his blood. 

He was waiting for a rescue which was never going to come. But what other choice did he have? Ten months he waited on that god-forsaken island to witness the regression of humanity and progression of beastialty. Ten months he lived with them, ate with them, slept with them. For ten months he tried to signal a passing boat to save him, only for none of them to halt for him in their invisible paths. More than ten months he wasted on that island, only to face the rotting corpses of the ginger captain and his man, never knowing the reason for their untimely deaths. 

At least, they gave him the only transportation he was capable of escaping the island with. 

His attempts at building a raft had not given fruition. Disassembling before even reaching the beach, he did not want to think what would have happened if he did not come across the dinghy of the captain and his man. 

He could not have waited more days. Rescue was never going to come. It wasn’t going to come—No.

They would find him. They had to. He could almost see the large ship peering out through the horizon. Its bleached sails fluttering in his blue vision. He would shout that he is here, he is here. Could they see him and he would wave his arms and shout until his throat is bleeding and men would shout too. They would point at him and shout that there is someone there, someone on the sea. They would pull at sails and change the course of the ship. They would throw ropes at him and haul his dinghy onto their ship and he would kiss the wood and men would laugh and he would cry and weep until his eyes were bleeding. 

His tears were red. No. The sky was red.

No one had come.

What if... What if he actually found a ship and returned to civilization? What if he lived to tell his tale of cruel vivisection and grotesque transformation, of the beast turning into man in this mad doctor’s island? 

Would they believe hi—no. Not very likely. They would surely think he was demented. Spinning tales because of the months he spent isolated at the sea.

No. But what then? What tale should he tell would sound believable?

Was there even such a tale?

Start from the beginning. Who was he? How did he come here?

He was Edward Prendick. He boarded the ship named _Lady Vain_ —how fitting! How many months ago? Ten months. Ten whole months. Where did he board the ship? Where? He didn’t remember. It seemed so long ago. Another life, perhaps. Wait—at Callao. He had decided to go back to England after his travels. Not at Callao though. He wanted to continue his travels there. He wanted to have even a greater adventure! First he went to Sierra Leone and then to Americas. Go to the Americas. England isn’t going anywhere! Have your adventure, then return. Have something to tell about. And some adventure he had! _Lady Vain_ had sank. Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable. He was going crazy.

He was going crazy.

Hello?

Was Edward Prendick there?

Who are you? Who was he?

He was a man. 

But what was a man? What made a man a man? 

The beasts at the island weren’t men. Heavens know Doctor Moreau tried but you cannot turn the beast into men. Can you?

First, men talked. You cannot teach Speech to beasts. You just couldn’t. Doctor Moreau tried and they learned at first. But no time had passed before they had forgotten it. Men didn’t forget to talk. They just didn’t. Even if they didn’t talk to anybody, they still had the Speech. That made a man a man. Didn’t it? Didn’t what?

Then, men stood upright. There wasn’t a beast who could walk on two feet. Beasts all had four feet. Except the Ape-man. But he was a man. He had the Speech and two feet. There wasn’t a man who couldn’t walk on two feet. Was there? Men walked on two feet and stood upright. That made a man a man.

Next, men didn’t chase other men. Men didn’t kill other men. Only beasts killed their own kind. That made a beast a beast. Men were above such things. Men know they are more than one. They can see themselves in other men. They have the Speech and stand on two feet. They are civilized. Educated.

Men listen to each other. Men could hear themselves in others and understand one another.

Could he hear them? Could he understand them?

Understand who? No one was talking.

You are going crazy, Edward Prendick. Sea sickness. Go get him a doctor.

There was no doctor here. He was sitting here just by himself and the sea. All alone. Except for the fish in the sea. Fish that were alive, full of calories, full of life—No. He couldn’t fish. Resist the hunger. 

Men didn’t eat fish or flesh. Only beasts consume meat. Beasts are savage and wild. They have fangs instead of teeth. They eat flesh and drink blood. Their fangs are sharp enough. Not teeth. Teeth cannot pierce skin or flesh. So men eat fruit. There was only fruit on that island. Which island? Doctor Moreau’s island. Beast-folk live there. Not men. Not anymore.

Go get him some water.

No. Men didn’t suck up drink. Men drink with a vessel.

No. You cannot stand upright. Drink it.

No. He will not drink it. He was a man. Men didn’t suck up drink. That is the Law. Was he not a man?

Men didn’t eat flesh or fish. That was the Law. Was he not a man?

Men stood on two feet. That was the Law. Was he not a man?

Men didn’t chase other men. That was the Law. Was he not a man?

Men had the Speech and the Law. Was he not a man?

He was a man.

Was? 

Wait.

He was a man. No—He is a man. 

What is a man? Is he a man?

No.

He had become the beast as the beast became the man.


End file.
